INSTRUCTIONS:
CASE STUDY ASSIGNMENTS DUE JULY 19 2012 --- THERE ARE HYPERLINKS
PROVIDED TO VIEW THE CASE STUDY..PLEASE USE THE PROVIDED CASE STUDIES
AS REFERRENCE AND SITE ANY OTHER SOURCES FROM THE INTERNET AND
BOOK THANKS!
There are 7 case studies that need to be completed!
TEXTBOOK REQUIRED: Crafting and Executing Strategy: The Quest for Competitive
Advantage—Concepts and Cases, 18th ed., by Arthur A. Thompson
Jr, A. J. Strickland III, and John E. Gamble (New York: McGrawHill/Irwin, 2012) ISBN-13: 978-0078112720
1)CASE STUDY 1 Whole Foods case study
http://www.scribd.com/doc/58797976/งานแปลภาษา
 Does the company’s strategy reflect the company’s mission? Explain.
 What is Whole Food’s business model?
 Analyzing the financial results in Exhibit 1 and Exhibit 2, give an
 assessment of how well the company is executing its strategy? How has
 the company’s stock price performed over the past four quarters?
 What is your evaluation of the performance and role of Mr. John
Mackey, CEO and founder of the company?
2) CASE 2: “Competition in Energy Drinks, Sports Drinks, and VitaminEnhanced Beverages,” by John E. Gamble, C75–C87.
Case Questions
1. What are the key success factors (KSF) in this industry?
2. Apply the Five Forces Model of Competition tool to analyze the Energy
Drinks, Sports Drinks, and Vitamin-Enhanced Beverages.
3. Apply the Strategic Group Mapping tool to determine the place of the
leading beverage producers in relation to each other.
3) Case Study Assignment 3
Case 12: “Google’s strategy in 2010,” by John E. Gamble, C174–C193
Case Questions
1. Explain Google’s business model.
2. Examine the financial reports in the case to determine the company’s
profitability, liquidity, leverage and activity ratios. Based on these ratios
what is your assessment of the company’s performance? Justify your
answer.
3. Perform a SWOT analysis of Google.
4. Describe Google’s value chain. What is the source of the company’s
competitive advantage?
4) Case Study 4
Case 16: “Sara Lee Corporation in 2011: Has its retrenchment Strategy
been Successful?” by Arthur Thompson and John E. Gamble, C243–
C256.
Case Questions
1. What strategy has Sara Lee used to grow its business?
2. Why is Sara Lee retrenching? How is it determining what units to
retrench?
3. Examine the financial results in Exhibit 4 and determine how the
company has been doing by calculating profitability, liquidity, leverage
and activity ratios. Based on these ratios what is your assessment of the
company’s performance? Justify your answer.
4. Which ones of the five generic strategies has Sara Lee used for
Hanesbrands, North American Foodservice, International Beverage,
International Bakery and International Household and Body Care?
5) Case Study Assignment 6
The case study assignment for module 6 draws on the following textbook
case:
Case 17: “Smucker’s in 2011: Expanding the Business Lineup,” by
John E. Gamble, C257–C270.
https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:X9QjRavMAJAJ:www.coursehero.com/load_
question_attachment.php?q_att_id%3D189264+Smucker’s+in+2011:+Expanding+the+Busi
ness+Lineup,”+by+John+E.+Gamble&hl=en&gl=us&pid=bl&srcid=ADGEESitaWNdLrH458vG8MPQpjYt5fCRSTFKVkegm98XXdnd9yw5KQnj8GsnSZoW3_BuNaICipre9qawkSfjtADgqHNEfNIwqqchtfSIHZ07fYgw0SLNcWx6rne
Nu7KXxWUxbKFxL6&sig=AHIEtbT3OClyU5VMwtm31QM9ZcLAF55QCQ
Case Questions
1. Smucker’s has multiple product lines. Explain how well they fit with
each other.
2. Using the data in the financial tables provided in the case, determine
whether the company has been contributing to increasing shareholder
value. Report your financial calculations.
3. What are the key challenges in the processed foods industry? How
well is Smucker’s positioned to take advantage of the changes in the
industry?
4. Looking at how Smucker’s has grown in the past, what would
recommend the company do to continue to grow and succeed?
6) Case Study 7
Case 28: “Countrywide Financial Corp and the Subprime Mortgage
Debacle,” by Ronald W Eastburn, C422–C436.
https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:THKTJ35XPmQJ:beacon.salemstate.edu/~e
desmarais/courses/470general/semesters/Fall%25202010/Countrywide%2520Financial
%2520Corporation%2520and%2520the%2520Subprime%2520Mortgage%2520Debacle.p
df+Countrywide+Financial+Corp+and+the+Subprime+Mortgage+Debacle,”+pdf&hl=en&gl=
us&pid=bl&srcid=ADGEEShRRs9TmIoP4p4k4wi_z_n7oDyRrdKOqi3AjTs_VYHjVpHSRyFlxoVlhO74wmaxzzRsIgU6wnN9863aYbYID3KWv_c
VrpZqnGD5X9cBY83pYaqAIWrNz2xQ4ZTDNBUHAjG4c8&sig=AHIEtbRxbcFQppi2esFTi853CoFaqb8xuQ
Case Questions
1. Explain the cause of the housing bubble and its burst in the mid-2000s.
To what extent is this problem the result of ethical failure? Explain.
2. Evaluate Countrywide’s role in the subprime mortgage debacle. Was
the company’s conduct unethical or illegal?
3. If we are to ensure that a crisis such as the subprime mortgage debacle
does not occur again, what changes should occur in companies such as
Countrywide?
4. Using this case as an example, who benefits and who gets hurt when a
company engages in unethical or socially irresponsible behavior?
7) Case Study 8
Case 38: “Starbucks’ Strategy and Internal Initiatives to Return to
Profitable Growth,” by Arthur A. Thompson and Amit J. Shah, C333–
C367.
http://www.scribd.com/doc/77301040/Reading-Starbucks-Case-Study
Case Questions
1. Evaluate the role played by Howard Schultz in the growth and success
of Starbucks. Is the company in danger of relying too heavily on Mr.
Schultz?
2. Discuss the business engineering processes used by Starbucks to stay
competitive. How does the company track performance and use its
control systems?
3. What is the compensation strategy that the company has used to
motivate its employees to focus on the company’s strategy and its
execution?
4. How would you describe Starbucks’ corporate culture? What is the
relevance of corporate culture for Starbucks’ future growth and success?